Vriitya Aravind and Rohan Mustafa’s century guides UAE to big win
Karthik Meiyappan and Junaid Siddique claim three wickets in ACC Premier Cup
Dubai: Vriitya Aravind and veteran all-rounder Rohan Mustafa hit centuries to star in UAE’s 143-run win over ACC Premier Cup 2023 opener against Kuwait at Kirtipur in Nepal on Wednesday.
Put in to bat, UAE ran into early trouble after losing the dependable skipper Muhammad Waseem and Aryan Lakra early. When Rameez Shehzad also followed, leaving UAE in difficult situation at 24 for three, Aravind and Mustafa took the attack to the opposition with a stunning counter-attack to forge a 275-run partnership in under 42 overs that completely took the match away from Kuwait.
Mammoth target
The exit of Mustafa proved even more disastrous for Kuwait as the next 17 balls went for 67 runs. Asif Khan scored nine-ball 30 and Aravind finishing with 185 off 147 balls, missing the double-century mark by just 15 runs as UAE finished their innings at 371 for six in 50 overs. Parvindar Kumar and Shahrukh Quddus claimed two wickets each for Kuwait.
In reply, Parvindar Kumar, skipper Mohammad Aslam and Sayed Monib came up with useful knocks but that was not enough to take them past the mammoth target. Pacer Junaid Siddique and leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan claimed two wickets each.
In the other match of the day, Aayan Khan’s timely half-century after coming down the order gave Oman a 40-run win over Qatar.